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Category Archives: cookout

What a busy week we are having! Right now we are preparing for a vacation and also our upcoming school year. I’m still trying to keep meals as simple and healthy as possible. These campfire pockets are a kid favorite here and I like them because they are easy, healthy and don’t require me to heat the house up.

The ingredients you need are based on how many people you are serving and personal taste.

I hope that everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend! Ours was eventful and involved a trip to the ER.

Happy 6 (Superman) jumped off a bed and landed on Happy 7’s (Batman) head. So of course, we headed to the ER. Fortunately, everything was fine. That’s life with boys …I hope I survive the superhero stage… 😉

On to today’s recipe! 🙂

When I was a kid, my mom made a green bean casserole that was a bit different than the usual mushroom soup casserole. Not that I have anything against the mushroom soup casserole, but I will probably never crave it. My mom’s casserole, however, is a different story altogether!

You will need:

2 pounds fresh or frozen green beans, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces

2 TBSP finely chopped onion

2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP white vinegar (or rice vinegar)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp pepper

2 TBSP saltine cracker crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 stick butter, melted

Put beans in a pan with a little water to cover. Cook until almost tender. Drain off water, then mix green beans, minced onions, garlic, olive oil, pepper and vinegar in a casserole dish together.

Melt butter

Add cracker crumbs and Parmesan cheese to the butter and mix well

Place crumb mixture on top of the green beans in casserole dish

Bake at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown.

I have been known to polish off large portions of this in lieu of a proper lunch or dinner! 😉

Living in a house full of boys, there are always superheros, various Star Wars characters and (of course) cowboys underfoot. My three-year-old is especially fond of playing cowboys. His little Fisher Price farm set has a little farmer with it that Happy 3 insists is a cowboy.

Happy 3 is also the most picky eater of all my boys. Most of my kids will gobble down vegetables as fast as I can set them on the table…but not Happy 3. He needs a little more convincing.

So tonight we are having mashed potatoes “cowboy” style. I am hoping that the combination of his beloved mashed potatoes combined with some vegetables and a slightly spicy kick will rope him in. 😉 I think my husband is sold…I’ve had to chase him away a couple of times…after all, we need some to be left in the bowl for when the chicken is finally done and it is time for the food to be placed on the table!

Anyway, you will need:

15 – 16 medium potatoes

1 cup carrots (cut very thin…matchsticks)

1 onion, minced

1/2 cup butter

10-15 slices of pickled jalapenos (I used 28 slices…we all like a little more ‘kick’)

1 cup shredded cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)

8 oz. corn

3-5 minced garlic cloves

salt and pepper to taste

Peel, cut and boil your potatoes as you normally would for mashed potatoes. Saute the garlic, onion, carrots and jalapenos in a little oil.

I love this time of year! Cooking outside on the grill and eating outside on the porch are ways we spend relaxing evenings together. It’s this time of year that I start thinking about grilled foods, fried chicken, big buttery biscuits, oh…and KFC coleslaw! Here is a recipe that tastes just like the KFC coleslaw and is really easy to make!

You will need:

2 Tbsp and 1/4 tsp vinegar

3 Tbsp and 1/4 tsp oil

2/4 cup chopped onion

1 1/4 cup Miracle Whip

1/2 cup sugar

1 carrot, shredded

1 medium to large head of cabbage, finely shredded

Mix the first five ingredients together.

Then add in the shredded cabbage and carrots. Mix well. Refrigerate overnight so that the flavors blend well.